I question the timing

You know the US banned* Assault Rifles 10 years before they were invented?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Act

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StG_44

* Taxed and registered, but most people don't understand the difference.

This Is My Rifle

My rifle and my cousin

There are many like it but this rifle is mine.

It is a Ruger 10/22 my dad gave me when I was 16 years old.

Would a "universal background check" make it illegal to give a gun to a child or other family member?

Dishwasher Safety

The Black Sunday Society 

Presents

A Short Video On

Dishwasher Safety

...

Please note the implication that you should take responsibility for your physical safety at all times by having the means to defend yourself and others up to and including carrying a concealed firearm are wholly coincidental.

Buckle Up for Safety

It is impossible to prove a negative.

You will often hear a news story about someone's life being saved, either through an act of heroism, or blind luck, or by something as common as a seat belt.

Everyone knows seat belts save lives. It is a Universal Truth.

And if you don't know it there are TV ads to teach you.

But how many lives are saved by seat belts? Again you can't really prove that someone is alive when they could have been killed...

But the best number I could find online comes from the CDC:

Seat Belts Have Saved an Estimated 255,000 Lives Since 1975

255k lives saved in 33 years? Am I the only one who thinks that number is shockingly low?

How low?

Well Dr. Gary Kleck, at Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, did a study on guns and their use in self-defense in 1993. And from that study he extrapolated that guns are used for self-defense 2.5 million times each year.

But wait... We still can't prove that someone is alive when they could have been killed. And we don't need to.

All we need are 10% of one year's worth of defensive gun use to be a life saving event, to equal the lives saved by seat belts each year... Oh, I'm sorry that is not correct. All we need are 10% of one year's worth of defensive gun use to be a life saving event to equal the lives saved by seat belts in 33 years.

That seems like a very low bar to reach.

You will often hear the poorly informed mantra that we need to treat guns like cars.

Instead of treating guns like cars, we need to treat guns like seat belts.
  

Not Semi Automatic

RIP Bob

Photo by Oleg Volk

My answers for Piers Morgan

John R. Lott appeared on CNN Wednesday night along with Jeanne Assam.

I tuned in in time to see Jeanne retell part of her story.  After Piers Morgan cut her off, he assaulted Lott with the inquisition

"WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF AN AR-15?"

Then he interrupted with another question

"HOW MANY BULLETS CAN IT FIRE A SECOND?"

When Lott attempted to continue answering the first question Morgan demanded again

"HOW MANY BULLETS DOES THE AR-15 FIRE A SECOND?"

And things went down hill from there (I walked away after setting the DVR)...

Now Lott is an economist who has researched crime statistics. I have no idea if he even owns a gun.   His explanation began that all semi-auto firearms function the same whether they look like a military weapon or not. After that was mostly cross talk.


I will take it upon myself to answer these question to the best of my ability.


"WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF AN AR-15?

To fire a projectile...  same as any other gun. You want more? OK... To fire a projectile while weighing less than other guns of a larger caliber.

"HOW MANY BULLETS DOES THE AR-15 FIRE A SECOND?"

Hell if I know... Typically you refer to the cyclic rate of a fully automatic weapon in rounds per minute ie: a machine gun.  A semi-automatic weapon is the  opposite of a machine gun, as a machine gun continues to cycle when the trigger is held, but a semi-automatic weapon cycles once and stops when the trigger is held. Truth is almost all semi-autos will cycle faster than you can pull the trigger.  Let's just call it 4 rounds a second based entirely off this youtube video.

Good enough... That takes care of Morgan's questions. What about the question he didn't ask? You know the one that might provide a little context for the audience.

How Many Bullet Does A Non-Semi-Automatic Weapon Fire A Second???


How about 4 rounds a second.

Plus a reload in the middle.

But that's not fair... a world record holder against a youtube star.

What we need is a world record holder against a world record holder...

Enter Tom Knapp and his semi-auto shotgun.

With his 12-ga. Semi-Auto Shotgun and extended magazine tube, Tom launched ten clay targets into the air with one hand and shot all ten with individual shots in an unbelievable 2.2 seconds flat.

And the challenger? Tom Knapp and his pump action shotgun.

Tom Knapp, with his pump Shotgun in one hand, threw eight clay targets in the air with his other hand and broke every one of them with individual shots in an amazing 1.87 seconds.

So each shot with a pump shotgun took 0.23 seconds. While each shot with the semi-auto shotgun took 0.22 seconds. Not a very big difference especially when the police take 20 minutes to respond.

 One more question for Piers Morgan. Can you explain this photo???

...

Bad at Math

So we must ban guns to save lives, but if the police go door to door taking away all those guns how many people will they kill in the process?

There are over 300,000,000 guns in the US now in over 50% of the households.

If it saves only one life...

(Side note Officer Harless is back on the job.)

Black (Gun) Friday

Black Friday 2011 set the record for background checks for gun sales (NICS), a record that stood for one year until Black Friday 2012.

From NSSF:

The November 2012 NSSF-adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) figure of 1,525,177 is an increase of 38.5 percent over the NSSF-adjusted NICS figure of 1,101,076 in November 2011. For comparison, the unadjusted November 2012 NICS figure of 1,997,703 reflects a 30.8 percent increase from the unadjusted NICS figure of 1,527,454 in November 2011.

And from Emily Miller on Fox News.

I have my own theory as to why... politics and the election aside, the economy sucks, people are broke and guns were on sale at Walmart.

In fact this is my old theory from last year. From my own research (note: I haven't done any research) at my local Walmart, they began selling long gun again in 2011 after they had been removed for several years. 

I have not found much online about Walmart's gun sales. This WSJ poll is the best information I have found.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is quietly bringing back rifles, shotguns and ammunition to hundreds of U.S. stores as the struggling retail giant seeks to reinvigorate its one-stop shopping appeal and lure more male customers. The world's largest retailer stopped selling hunting rifles and bullets at all but a third of its U.S. stores five years ago, citing diminishing sales. It is now restoring them to hundreds of locations, bringing the total to nearly half of its more than 3,600 U.S. namesake stores, as part of a larger push to restore "heritage categories" of merchandise such as fishing rods and bolts of sewing fabric that it removed in an attempt to go upscale that backfired.

 This year I noted several of the large sporting good chains also ran Black Friday ads for guns at sale prices.

I myself have never bought a gun a at Walmart; I try to support local gun shops, I have bought lots of ammo there. I don't view Walmart as the evil empire. and in the long run it may help the case for gun rights...  After all an "Assault Weapon" can not be much more "in common use" If you can buy it with your groceries.

Lazy News

I.e. copying links from my Facebook page...

• Trial Court Judge In George Zimmerman Case Removed By Florida Appeals Court
• 
  
• IS DOJ 'COMMUNITY ORGANIZING' OCCUPY ACTIVISTS AT THE RNC?
•  
• Cincinnati police chief advises staff of legality regarding open carry of a firearm in Ohio
•  
• Praise for the lowly .22 long rifle cartridge.
•  
• ABC GREENLIGHTS WHEDON'S "S.H.I.E.L.D." TV SERIES
•  
• When do you use i.e., and when do you use e.g., and what do they mean?

Do you know where your towel is?

THE BLACK SUNDAY SOCIETY 

EMERGENCY HEAT PROTOCOL

STEP ONE:      Obtain a medium size towel (for example a dish towel from O'Charley's).

STEP TWO:     Run cold water over the towel to soak it (you may wring it out if you like).

STEP THREE: Place the wet towel in a freezer ( for example the walk-in at O'Chaley's).

STEP FOUR:   Remove the towel when frozen (5-10 minutes) Run a small amount of cool water over the towel to make it pliable.

STEP FIVE:     Place the semi-frozen towel on the back of your neck (Yes your shirt is going to be wet).

STEP SIX:       Repeat as necessary.

Serving Faithfully

Speaking of Kukris.

Here is a BBC documentary on the Gurkhas. 

Click this link and all 6 parts will auto play.

I have no idea what the British are thinking cutting Gurka Regiments. 

Act of Valor

Today you can go out and buy Act of Valor on DVD or Blu-ray.

And I suggest you go do so if you want to encourage them to make another movie.

In lieu of my own review,  I'll quote the world famous Tam:

 The plot is not Hitchcockian: Some bad guys are going to try and do bad things to America. A bunch of SEALs are attempting to stop them, mostly by shooting them in the face.
 
I am so used to watching gun handling in movies and thinking "You're Doing It Wrong!" that it was refreshing to see one that made me think "Huh. I'm Doing It Wrong."

I will also link  this review of the Blu-ray.  I assume it has more special features (I'll check that in the store).

Special Features:

audio commentary
six deleted scenes
introduction to the film by its directors
Seven of the Navy SEALs give brief interviews
“The Making of Act of Valor”
“Real Bullets”
“Real SEALs: Real Tactics”
“Silent Warriors” (heh...)

Lawyers and Zombies

Joe Barrett host of Trigger Time Sunday nights on 55KRC posted a very interesting observation on Facebook. He warns against carrying Hornady's Zombie Max ammo because it could be used against you in a court of law.

I had a listener tell me he carried this ammo in his self defense guns, but heard someone say perhaps he shouldn't due to the "Disclaimer" from Hornady. Having read it, I have to say I wouldn't own it either. It doesn't matter if it really isn't any more effective than something else, THIS ONE comes with the instructions by the manufacturer that it should never be used against a human being, and I am guessing an attorney could make good use of that in a civil trial if nothing else. I hope Greg, David, Bill and/or some of the more experienced trainers will give their two cents on this topic.

Disclaimer: Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition is NOT a toy (IT IS LIVE AMMUNITION), but is intended only to be used on…ZOMBIES, also known as the living dead, undead, etc. No human being, plant, animal, vegetable or mineral should ever be shot with Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition. Again, we repeat, Hornady® Zombie Max™ ammunition is for use on ZOMBIES ONLY, and that's not a nickname, phrase or cute way of referring to anybody, place or thing. When we say Zombies, we mean…ZOMBIES!

  http://www.hornady.com/ammunition/zombiemax


UPDATE: The disclaimer is not on the box. I looked at one today.

Hands & Feet

How easy is it to kill a man with your bare hands?

It happens more than twice a day, on average. Fists and feet were responsible for 745 murders in 2010, or 5.7 percent of all murders that year, according to FBI statistics. (The data on this have been remarkably stable in recent years. In the five preceding years, the percentage of murders perpetrated by fists or feet fluctuated between 5.6 and 6.1.)

Anecdotal evidence and boxing mechanics are discussed as well, but what is not mentioned is that a stat I vaguely recall that hands and feet cause more deaths than the dreaded evil "Assault Weapons".

"Assault Weapons" i.e. semi-auto rifles would only be a subset of All Rifles in the FBI Uniform Crime Report. In 2010 Rifles where used in 358 murders less than half the number for hands & feet. That trend continues back through the years.

It is a nice little stat to have in your toolbox and pull out next time you hear calls to renew the "Assault Weapons Ban". 

Glenn Beck Charity Auction

Beck just spoke about this on the radio...

This auction supports his charity mercuryone.org

There are several Gun Nutty items listed:

Dove hunting trip

Project Appleseed Weekend

Go Shooting with Marcus Luttrell

Black Bear Hunting with Ted Nugent

Fighter Pilot for a day

Aviation Wilderness Survival Kit

Benchmade and Martin Knives

Several Alessi Holsters and a gun purse


PLUS  you could bid on the John Stossel Experience

or EVEN BETTER

NASCAR Experience with S E Cupp...

News Picks

The Zimmerman case seems to trigger these posts...

Martin Had Bloody Knuckles When He Died

Yemen: U.S. troops directly guiding four-front assault on Al Qaeda

NOAM CHOMSKY: SARAH PALIN WAS RIGHT ABOUT OBAMA

Obama Only Says He Shoved A Little Girl

David Brooks Has Finally Figured Out Why Obama Is So Popular

Bill Whittle: The Stratosphere Lounge

Henry Kissinger: Dangerous Terrorist

O'KEEFE'S LATEST: NORTH CAROLINA VOTER ID PRACTICES

News Picks

Zimmerman's Bloody head

J. CHRISTIAN ADAMS REVIEWS Katie Pavlich’s Fast and Furious

Guns and Patriots interview with Katie Pavlich part 1

Al "gas can" Sharpton doesn't pay his taxes

Light rail kills restaurateur’s dream in St. Paul (from Ed Morrissey)

Britain's violent crime record (2009)

The Blaze at the NRA AM

A second video.














And here is their first video.

Jeanne Assam talks to Kate Krueger

Jeanne Assam talked last week with Kate Krueger's Talking Guns on Arizona Gun Radio 1260 & 96.1.

Click here to Listen (at 15:00)

Second Hour (JA it mentioned at 18:00)


Special Thanks to Massad Ayoob for facilitating this interview.  Mas was one of the first people I though of when I began seeking advocates for Jeanne. It was an honor to meet him in St. Louis.

Kate has an interesting page of guest links, some of whom I met at the NRA Meeting and delivered my 30 second pitch about Assam's book (that you can buy on my side bar).
Specifically:

Deb Ferns of WOMA

Julie G from Team S&W

and Kathy Jackson  who runs the Cornered Cat.

Please Vote for Mitt Romney.

Looks to me like there are many gun bloggers that would rather go full wookie than pull the lever for the Massachusetts Android.  I can understand this, but  I don't think it is a wise move and I would ask then to consider the following.


Here are the top five reasons to vote for Mitt Romney in November.

5.  Supreme

4.  Court

3.  Justice

2.  Eric

1.  Holder


h/t to Ed Morrissey (who said he got it somewhere else.)

P.S. Can some one explain to me why Mitt's gun control sins are worse than Ronald Regan's ???